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08 December 2013

The Vice President Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur presided
over the launch of a new web-based system for reporting HIV-related
discrimination. The system will support people living with HIV and other
key populations in upholding their rights and fighting discrimination.

In Ghana, as in many other countries, HIV-related discrimination
remains an unfortunate reality. People living with or affected by HIV
experience unfair and unjust treatment that affect many areas of their
lives, from employment to travel to health, and often act as a barrier
to accessing potentially life-saving HIV prevention, treatment, and care
services.

Using the new discrimination reporting system, individuals and
organizations will now be able to report such discriminatory treatment
directly to Ghana’s Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ). Cases of HIV-related discrimination can be reported online at http://drsystem.chrajghana.com/
or via SMS. Following case submission, a CHRAJ point of contact
receives the complaint and has ten days to respond to the person who
submitted the complaint. While mediation is the preferred method of
handling complaints, CHRAJ also has investigation and litigation
authority as well.

The creation of the system reflects a growing appreciation that
discrimination faced by people living with HIV and key populations —
including men who have sex with men, sex workers, and people who inject
drugs — undermines human rights and quality of life.

Managed by CHRAJ, the discrimination reporting system is the product
of a partnership among CHRAJ, the Ghana AIDS Commission, and
governmental and non-governmental stakeholders, with support from the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Health Policy Project.
Reflecting this partnership, Vice President Amissah-Arthur was joined
at the launch event by Commissioner of CHRAJ Lauretta Vivian Lamptey,
Director-General of the Ghana AIDS Commission Dr. Angela El-Adas, U.S.
Ambassador to Ghana Gene A. Cretz, and other dignitaries.

In his remarks,
Ambassador Cretz noted: “the U.S. government is proud to work with the
Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice and the Ghana AIDS
Commission in building systems that ensure that those affected by
HIV-related stigma and discrimination have legal recourse in seeking
support in protection of their rights.”

The reporting system improves accountability by fostering greater collaboration among CHRAJ, the Ghana AIDS Commission,
and civil society organizations. In addition to serving as a reporting
mechanism, features of the system such as case tracking enable
registered organizations to monitor the progress of complaints. This
will not only help those who have experienced discrimination gain access
to redress if their complaints are legally actionable; it will also
help link them with relevant social services.

More broadly, capturing cases of discrimination will provide an
important source of data on discrimination for policymakers and
advocates alike, arming them with information to take further action to
fight HIV-related discrimination in the future.